Month: July 2018

It is odd when the sequel of a cult classic gets released 25 years later. When it comes to ‘Hocus Pocus’, it is very welcome for thy fans. After so many rumors about an upcoming sequel, it manifests in book form.

‘Hocus Pocus And The All-New Sequel’ by A.W. Jantha is a book divided into two parts. The first part of the book is actually a novelization of the original 1993 film, while the second part is the sequel.

Since it has two clearly divided parts, I’ll treat them as two different books for the sake of this review.

Hocus Pocus

The novelization of the film has two distinct objetives: to refresh the reader of the beloved film and give insight to some slight details about the story. This is a novelization that follows the plot very closely to the film, without deriving too much to understand the characters of even give nuance to some slight possibilities (like the fact that Max doesn’t get affected by the sisters potion at some point because he is no longer a virgin). At least they didn’t undermine the sexual themes from the movie as it is vital to understand many points of the film.

The author has a very specific set of vocabulary from the witches, so a dictionary could be handy. Once you understand several of these unknown words, you’ll start to understand them in context. The story is as fast paced as the original movie, only pausing at very specific scenes to convey information or express the emotions of the characters.

But it is just that, a scene by scene novelization that doesn’t add too much to the interpretation of the movie.

Even though there’s not much difference or additional information, it is a fun read that savvy readers will read in a couple of hours. The last chapters add some details to make a convincing follow up to the sequel that doesn’t affect the movie in any way.

The All-New Sequel

Twenty five years after the Sanderson incident, we meet Poppy, the daughter of Max and Allison. She has been haunted by the story of her parents during her whole life, wondering if the encounter they had as teenagers with the Sanderson sisters is even true. With the help of Isabella and Travis, they find out what’s that whole witch legend about, as they visit the Sanderson house on Halloween, on a full blood moon.

As with most generational sequels, this story includes some references and mentions about the original film, but it is able to develop its own story. One of the most welcome additions and portrayals in this novel is the fact that Poppy, the Dennissons’ daughter, is a lesbian clearly expressing her crush on Isabella. It is one of those subtle things that needs to be more present in media. Kudos for the author and Disney for allowing this kind of representation for the LGBTQ community.

Sometimes you’ll find early on the sequel some unnecessary mentions to other Disney properties. Even though it is logical that people would be dressed as these characters in Halloween, the author mentions so many that it felt as a crossover marketing ploy. The other clear annoyance to how the sequel begins is the constant mention of social media platforms to state that we are in present times. I mean, since the very beginning of the sequel it is mentioned that the story occurs in 2018, so I don’t find the need to mention every single social media platform to understand these are teenagers without moving the plot any forward.

Moving past these details, the novel develops and gets rid of most of the annoyances found during the first act of the sequel. Poppy, Isabella, and Travis head over to the Sanderson’s house when they decide on Halloween to see if all the stories from Poppy’s parents are true. After trying out a spirit board and some incantations….. They’re baaaaack!

Winifred, Mary, and Sarah start their effort to stay alive and rule the world. While the book was the main McGuffin in the original movie, it is also added what is called a blood moonstone to break the spell. In order to. As they try to find the blood moonstone, we learn about a lost Sanderson sister who is trying to make things right.

The stakes start to build up as everyone on Salem isn’t trustworthy. Poppy can’t contact their parents or Aunt Dani, and the last person they can ask for help turns their backs. Poppy, Isabella, and Travis team up with Katie Taylor, one of their school enemies, and start to search the blood moonstone.

This sequel outwits the reader by using tropes from the original movie in innovative ways. Now that the sisters are more adept at the current times, they’re not as dumb or easily deceived. This makes them a stronger menace for the main characters, trying different plans to achieve their objective. Winifred makes their chances of winning this time much more compelling, making you curious to how these teenagers could get out of this ugly mess.

What makes the sequel so strong after the first act is that it has a clear storyline that slowly builds up. The first act of this sequel works similar to the novel adaptation of the movie, but once the Sanderson sisters come back, all your framework is suddenly shattered. They can’t get help from anybody except in the underworld, lighting the candle won’t break the spell, and it is harder to outwit the Sanderson sisters. What begins as a very strange sequel with a great follow up to the storyline.

One of the things that I kept thinking while reading this book is how it relates to the rumors about a possible sequel. A.W. Jantha is an unknown author, so it could easily be a pseudonym. The book seems to be a proof of concept for a sequel, taking into account that it includes a lesbian character and Disney might want to see the reception of this story.

So far, ‘Hocus Pocus And The All New Sequel’ has been well received according to reviews. Even ‘Hocus Pocus’ producer David Kirschner during an interview in the podcast ‘Dizney Coast To Coast’ has confirmed that Disney has something in development. In a time where Disney doesn’t have many content related to Halloween, ‘Hocus Pocus’ could be an excellent story to fit in this time slot.

Final Veredict

What makes this book interesting comes from the sequel, not the novelization of the film. Even though the adaptation isn’t a bad one, it just follows through the story without giving much detail. Still, it is a fun read to go through if you want to refresh the movie in a different way.

The sequel is what makes this book strong. It starts as a simple story, but it gets more complex as it moves on. There’s a good balance between characters and plot situations, keeping the pacing fresh for this sequel.

’Hocus Pocus And The All New Sequel’ is a great read for fans who want to see more of their favorite witches and are hopeful for a movie adaptation of this sequel. Share this book with friends that also enjoy the movie. Maybe if fans vote with their dollars, that rumored ‘Hocus Pocus’ sequel could finally become a reality.

For many years I’ve been interested in reading The Thinking Fan’s Guide series by Aaron Wallace. These books aren’t available in ebook form. For a person who constantly reads on his iPad and lives outside of the US, it has been difficult to get my hands on one of these books.

After re-watching Hocus Pocus some months ago, I acquired the only ebook I could get my hands on from this author. The film itself isn’t a favorite of mine, but I was interested in what Aaron Wallace had to say about this Disney cult film. Ever since the debut of the Hocus Pocus Villains’ Spelltacular show in the Magic Kingdom, the curiosity on the film grew on me.

‘Hocus Pocus In Focus’ is a book that peeks behind the curtain to understand details on the production and making of the film. It is difficult to understand how a silly witch story became one of the edgiest films released by Disney. Why would they give permission to mention about a teen’s virginity and its implications for the story? But more than just another book about the insider story of the production, Aaron Wallace theorizes about the meaning behind many overlooked lines and scenes of the film. In this sense, Aaron is able to give us the right ingredients to reinterpret the movie and maybe understand why it has grown within many fans two decades after its initial release.

Oh, and if you are a fun facts junkie that wants to read about all the little nuggets surrounding the film, don’t worry. There is a whole chapter at the end of the book dedicated to these stories.

Each chapter of the book is an essay about a specific aspect of the film. Of the several chapters, the three that sparked my curiosity the most were:

Understanding the meaning of yaboos and the importance of virginity in the film.

Why is Hocus Pocus Bette Midler’s magnum opus.

Understanding the language of the film as a Spielbergian, just as many films are explained as Hitchcockian.

Each chapter invites you to embrace Hocus Pocus as film worthy of study and analysis. Some chapters are about the plot itself, others about intertextuality and others about its significance within the Disney universe.

The explanation of the meaning of virginity throughout the film will definitely change your perception about the film. How each line of the characters, the video editing and the songs carry this symbol in the movie makes Aaron Wallace’s point bulletproof. Besides that, there is an interesting analysis on how witches are portrayed in this film and how they differ with the portrayal of witches in other Disney films.

‘Hocus Pocus In Focus’ sheds light on the importance of Hocus Pocus for Disney and film history. Besides showing perspectives of the film few people might have thought of, Aaron’s style lets you enjoy reading even if you’re not a huge fan of the movie. Most chapters are short and tight, simplifying the reading experience.

Aaron Wallace’s greatest achievement is the fact that it makes the reader enjoy the film upon multiple rewatches. Every single time you’ll get a different read of the film, taking into account your new information from the book.

Few authors do a serious analysis about the Disney phenomenon and in a way that doesn’t end up in academic mumbo jumbo and silly conspirative theories. Aaron Wallace makes it right with Hocus Pocus In Focus. For any fan who wants to learn more about the cult classic, this book is worth your time and attention.

Some characters in Star Wars are harder to pin down on the written page such as Han, Luke, and Leia. These are personalities we know and feel, making it a real challenge for authors to create stories around them. Claudia Gray’s ‘Leia, Princess Of Alderaan’ gives a voice to one of these characters in a time back when Leia didn’t even thought the problems ahead of her future.

This book occurs in between ‘Revenge Of The Sith’ and ‘A New Hope’. Leia Organa has to prove herself worthy of the throne, so she must be able to do three challenges of mind, body, and heart. With each of these challenges, she faces the struggles of a young girl trying to find her place in the world. Leia has been distant with her parents for reasons she doesn’t understand. Little does she know that her parents are in the works of an important organization, the Rebel Alliance, to face the authoritarian Emperor Palpatine.

During these challenges, Leia meets with many people of her same age as part of the Apprentice Legislature, facing similar challenges like the ones she must complete. There she meets Amylin Holdo, who would later be crucial for ‘The Last Jedi’, and Kier Domadi, a boy from Alderaan who doesn’t know what to do when Leia confronts him with her newfound knowledge of the Rebel Alliance. This coming-of-age story takes the young Leia to unexpected planets while she tries to understand what her parents are hiding and trying to make diplomatic missions in order to do some relevant action to confront the Empire.

This book includes one of the most well threaded stories I’ve ever read. Claudia Gray’s style keeps you engaged from the very beginning, clearly establishing the main plot so that you can follow through in the several situations and subplots that actually lead to the main objective. The character-driven descriptions allow you to understand the struggles of Princess Leia as she finds her place in the political situation. Even though Amylin Holdo is part of the story, she isn’t shoehorned to prove the point that the character always existed. She is a useful ally for Leia, but they aren’t best friends from the start. The same happens when Gray uses Crait as a setting. The mention of the base makes sense as part of the story, thus giving some context to the place without shoehorning a planet only because it is seen in Episode 8.

Even though there isn’t too much action sequences compared to other Star Wars movies, it is able to create tension from many moments when Leia is facing some challenges. There’s especially one passage were Leia may or may not use the Force by accident. There are other chapters were she must be able to handle political inconveniences that also contribute to what is shown on film.

Claudia Gray has been able to pin down the voice and characterization of Leia. No wonder why she has been able to write another book, ‘Bloodline’, with the same character in a completely different timeline. This is definitely an author to look for outside and inside the Star Wars universe. Her pacing and style works like clockwork, having a unique way to thread great scenes that work in favor of the story. No wonder why her books are considered one of the best out of all the Star Wars canon books.

If you’d rather read a book to understand a character and keep you interested from start to finish, this is a great story to pick. It is similar in this aspect to ’Thrawn’ or ‘Most Wanted’, as both of these focus more on the characters rather than the action sequences. Claudia Gray’s style and pacing can’t be praised enough, because it truly immerses yourself into the story. This book written by a different author could be a really tiresome story, but Claudia Gray creates a story that involves one of the most recognized characters of Star Wars in a way that keeps it true to Carrie Fisher’s portrayal in the films.

The first phrase that Imagineers use to excuse themselves from the closure or the reimagining of a Disney attraction sounds ridiculous: ‘Parks are not museums’. After using his phrases, the Imagineers mention how Walt always wanted to change the parks, because they will never be completed. Even though these excuses talk about the evolution of theme parks, it doesn’t answer if attractions could be considered art, and thus be preserved.

Parks are not museums, but they do involve artistry that should be respected.

Many of the earlier ride vehicles from Disneyland came as off-the-shelf pieces, later dressed as pirate ships, flying elephants, and turn-of-the-century cars. Imagineers, taken from the animation and live action departments of the studio, were trying to tell the story of the movies in a compressed time limit (as Tony Baxter would say, a book report of the movie). As any storyteller, Imagineers express the same stories in different ways. The design and layout that Harper Goff gave to the early vegetation of Disneyland has his imprint. The tone and mood created by the designs of Ken Anderson and Claude Coats in the dark rides on Fantasyland stays even in improved, reimagined versions of the ride. Frank Thomas will always be part of the railroads at Disneyland and Walt Disney World. Every single artist has defined the style and layout of the theme parks, making a personal statement in this place.

As technology advances, Imagineers had more opportunities to express themselves in a similar way that improvements in sound, storyboarding, color, and multi plane cameras helped animators express better in their films. This allowed for artist to create immersive environments such as Pirates Of The Caribbean and The Haunted Mansion. These attractions exist to tell a broad story instead of the attraction itself. In this way, the story transcended the medium.

In this sense, art became part of the attractions.

Art expresses a story, an idea, a concept. It expresses something without any particular function, making it a piece to understand our world and humanity. Can attractions fit within this definition? Or are attractions a functional product, delivering only entertainment for the guests in a theme park?

Some dark rides do have the function of entertainment, but sometimes they don’t. Even Pirates Of The Caribbean didn’t have a real function other than an idea Walt Disney had about a wax museum. Other attractions, like those developed for the 1964 New York World’s Fair, have a function, in this case a marketing purpose. Does this mean It’s A Small World couldn’t be a piece of art? It has an idea, a concept, that transcends its initial function. This is one of the most artistic attractions, with the imprint of Mary Blair in and out. So the definition of art without function dilutes for attractions that could have had an initial function but its overall message transcends it.

Marc Davis was a true believer in attractions as an art form, using Audio-Animatronics for the next step of three dimensional animation and storytelling. It was such an important belief in his career that he took nearly 5 years of active development in Western River Expedition, which would become Marc Davis’ greatest achievement.

Marc David did most of the staging and visual gags for Pirates Of The Caribbean, contributing also to The Haunted Mansion. These attractions have his staple comedy and humor, just like a good piece of art represents the artist. Western River Expedition could have easily been title Marc Davis’ Western River Expedition because of how much involvement he had in the project.

For a person who started working at WED because Walt asked him, Marc had an artist’s ambition. Walt wanted more humor for Jungle Cruise, so he asked Marc to reimagine some scenes and develop new ones. From this short task, Marc came up with some of the most iconic moments from The Jungle Cruise. After that, he would collaborate for other projects like It’s A Small World and The Enchanted Tiki Room. Even though Marc Davis would later talk about attractions as an art form that could helped him express, he started working in Imagineering because Walt begged him. Does that undermine the artistry of Marc Davis in these projects? No. It could still be considered art, even when Marc started with a clear task.

Maybe if we consider what Walt Disney thought about attractions, we can better define if they could be considered art. Even though he understood all the artistry involved in his project, trying to live up to the high brow audience since Fantasia, he ended up thinking about himself as a showman, an entertainer. When the early stages of The Jungle Book had many ideas of a film with a darker tone, Walt despised it and said that the movie should be a party in the jungle. Even with earlier films like Bambi, Fantasia or Dumbo, he was very conscious to keep the attention of the audience and make it entertaining. Walt, other that delivering a certain message or pushing and agenda with his projects, wanted people to be entertained with his films.

Disneyland was constructed because Walt wanted a place where kids and grownups could have fun together. He didn’t opened Disneyland to be a museum or an art gallery. Walt just wanted people to have fun. Even though he just wanted to make fun, you can’t undermine the thoughts of the hundreds of artists that worked on the project and thought of Disneyland and its attractions as a piece of art.

There’s a balance between creator and creation to define the artistry of attractions. Because its final product is intended to be entertaining, it could only be considered that. But during the process of creation for that piece of entertainment, there’s a lot of artistry into it that is a piece of art in itself. Attractions have that blend of art, technology, and entertainment.

Themed attractions could be a piece of art, while the off the shelf rides are not. There is an effort to achieve a well themed attraction. Pirates Of The Caribbean redefined the dark ride genre and the log flumes that appeared in other regional parks. At the same time, it is still difficult to say which attractions can’t be considered art. Even though many attractions in the Chester and Hester’s area from Dinoland U.S.A. of Animal Kingdom are off the shelf, they do deliver a theme, but there’s no doubt that Dinosaur could be considered art.

The difference between attractions and rides could be the answer to this problem. A ride is a lower experience, defined by the momentary feelings and emotions. An attraction however gifts a long lasting memory, the kinds of memories that we hear over and over when someone visits a theme park.

Parks aren’t museums after all, which is why old attractions don’t belong in a park because it is a business after all. And the decision to replace an attractions happens because of key performance indicators, not the value of art. The moment an attraction doesn’t deliver the kind of excitement that is entertaining to guests, then it is replaced with another attraction that could bring the necessary excitement for guest flow and customer satisfaction.

Maybe we can cherish long forgotten attractions in other ways than keeping them in the same park. Theme parks are a business, pondering the idea if attractions can be considered art. If films are made as a product, why are they still considered an art form? The question repeats itself.

But this time, let’s say that attractions could be an art form after all.

As I’ve reviewed several Star Wars books over the past months, some of my favorites have been those with few stakes that make a genre fit within the universe. This is the case of The Perfect Weapon, a short ebook story that takes you to one of the missions of Bazine Nethal, a character briefly shown in ‘The Force Awakens’ at Maz Kanata’s castle.

Delilah S. Dawson takes this femme fatale character and takes her on a mission to find the identity of an unknown Stormtrooper. Bazine Nethal is headed to ask for her old mentor’s spaceship, making a deal were she can take the transport but she will do the mission with a trainee of his.

Bazine heads to a simple yet intriguing mission, as it has a couple on twists on the way that will keep you interested. The biggest forte of this short story is the fact that it embraces how simple it is, giving detailed descriptions of the action and scenes without making it longer than it actually needs. It’s a self contained story in the vein of the stories of Canto Bight. The story suffers from the simplicity, but the author has taken that and made a good plot out of it.

If you’re into simple stories that don’t have any stakes in the major plots of the galaxy we know, this could be a good story to read in one sitting. It isn’t a mandatory read for ‘The Force Awakens’, neither does it explain why Bazine was at Mas Kanata’s castle. We only see the merciless character that is Bazine Nethal. This mission driven story is a fun ride that will keep you turning the pages for a couple of hours.

Checking the reactions from social media, it is clear that ‘Bao’, Pixar’s new short screened before ‘Incredibles 2’, hasn’t been understood by most audiences. This misunderstanding was evident during my screening, with diverging responses from the audiences. While some people cried, others were laughing out loud.

Bao

The mixed reactions received by the short film happen to be due to a misunderstanding of the situation. While I was trying to understand the story as it developed in the cinema, my best friend instantly sobbed halfway through the short. In this sense, this is a very impressive short, one that connects instantly with those who have struggled with cultural pressures and family differences.

‘Bao’ tells the story of an Asian mother whose son grows with the American culture, thus leading to differences between family traditions and the culture were they live. She eventually replaces her son with a dumpling only to find out the same issues occur.

Even though I’m not Asian-American, the topic is much broader than it appears. Many films and series are so focused on American culture that they don’t show how they influence others. For example, even though in the US it is common to leave your house for college, in Venezuela teenagers stay at their homes almost until marriage. Some people stay at their homes due to the current economy in Venezuela, but it shows a cultural difference that could easily compare to those shown in ‘Bao’.

The misunderstanding of the short film shows that audiences are so used to one cultural way of living that they barely understand the struggle that the mother has during the short. Because people know other cultures and traditions, they consider the son’s actions as ‘normal’ because he’s living the life of a common US citizen.

Another thing that people might be confused is the fact that the dumpling and his son are the same person, one replacing the other after leaving the house. This article explains the fact that the mother is suffering of empty nest syndrome, a common situation in mothers who are left by their kids. Should the syndrome be explained in the short film? No. Maybe people without kids don’t understand it, but parents know the struggle that the mother has.

What ‘Bao’ does best is creating a deeper conversation about cultural influences and how this could affect a family relationship. Over the years, more and more people around the world with different cultural backgrounds are trying to fit in another country’s culture while staying true to their cultural roots. The problem is more present than ever, needing much conversation to comprehend the implications it has.

The fact that many audiences have been alienated by ‘Bao’ shows that globalization hasn’t been great at showing other cultures. The echo chambers of our current media homogenizes people, making it deeply complicated to confront another reality, tradition or culture.

‘Bao’ has crossed a cultural shift in animation that embraces a much more diverse global audience by showing a different culture but also expressing a struggle many people have as immigrants or even being exposed to media that shows other cultural norms. It is the kind of storytelling that shows that animation is able to convey a topic in such a way that opens up the conversation in a light-hearted manner. One of the strongest points from Pixar is how they deal with deeper topics in their films. Let ‘Bao’ be a sneak peek how what the future could hold for the animation studio. Just in the way ‘Coco’ expressed a different culture in a respectful way, ‘Bao’ exposed what the studio is able to achieve when they bring artists from different backgrounds, showing new realities that are relatable to a wider audience.

Uncles and cousins were there, laughing and celebrating the trip. The Florida breeze and the fireworks blushing the myriad of colors over the park wandered on my eyes as I scream at Big Thunder Mountain. The score of the Wishes nighttime spectacular filled the speakers throughout the Magic Kingdom.

Time to go. Walking right down the middle of Main Street U.S.A., I made the mistake of contemplating Cinderella’s Castle. Sobbing started as we went to the monorail, as if they were taking from my hands a special sort of talisman.

Every time I walk out of Magic Kingdom and look at the castle, the tears of my internal child start falling on my cheeks.

My first visit to the Magic Kingdom was when I was nine months. Since then, I’ve visited Walt Disney World countless times. I’ve had the chance of visiting Disneyland in California and Disneyland Paris. It has been inevitable to be attached to these places that represent so many of my nostalgic memories.

The Disney parks represent family in many ways. They represent moments that I’ve shared with brothers, cousins and uncles. It has also been a place of sour farewells. Time sugarcoats the photos of past visits.

In an article named ‘Disneyland Is Good For You’, Imagineer John Hench pinpointed the ‘pseudomenace’ as the sentiment shared by millions of park guests. There’s no other place to have a trip to the second star to the right, survive a haunted mansion with 999 happy haunts and sing ‘Under The Sea’ in a single day. It is filled with minor details that really turn dreams into a palpable reality, bonding the experience to your inner self.

Theme parks are multisensory experiences. You will never understand a kid’s obsession to meet his favorite character until Mickey Mouse talks to you just like in the beloved animated shorts. Once you’re part of the fantasy, the game begins as if in a virtual reality experience.

Disney parks mean different things for different people. Decades elapse and millions of families keep visiting. It’s a second home to many fans. Every single change in the park affects their feelings and memories. They are part of a tightly knit fan community. When an attraction closes, many cheer and others lament it. Imagineers constantly use Walt’s phrase to justify closures or refurbishments: ‘Disneyland will never be completed. It will grow and change as long as there is imagination left in the world’.

These attractions and places have emotions and experiences attached to them. I understood that when a host from the Retro Disney World podcast told the story of how Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, closed in 1998, reminded him of his mother, who recently passed away on the recording date.

When people fly with Dumbo or hop aboard a pirate ship with Peter Pan, it creates a moment that is deeply rooted into your memories. It isn’t about the attraction, but of the feelings that takes you back down memory lane.

Disney movies are my infancy. Snow White, Pinocchio, Dumbo, Melody Time, Peter Pan, Fantasia, and more. The animated characters hypnnotized me. There was a mysticism behind them that lasted even after the movie ended. I remember that my Peter Pan VHS had a documentary that explained the behind the scenes story of the movie, showing animators studying real actors as reference for the characters. That was the first time that I understood how these movies were made frame by frame, changing my perception about the art of animation.

Every time I watch an animated film, I admire each detail of the frame. I laugh at gags I didn’t noticed as a child, admire the color palette, observe the depth of vision achieved by the multiplane camera. I have had a whole different experience every time I watch the movies.

Disney Channel is the sole reason to watch television. I came back from school, had lunch and went to see my favorite series. When ‘Zapping Zone’ started, I would take a bath in between commercials so I wouldn’t miss a thing. Then, there was the featured film. As the credits rolled, I went to sleep.

But what Disney Channel made the most was to relive my park memories and fandom. I would watch promotional material and featurettes, search over the internet about the most recent news and rumors, and I played endless nights in the Virtual Magic Kingdom, an online community that opened for the 50th anniversary of Disneyland.

When I discovered that there were fans with the same enthusiasm, I followed them. I stayed for hours reading Doombuggies.com, a site dedicated to The Haunted Mansion, and TellNoTales.com, a site dedicated to Pirates Of The Caribbean. I would read them thoroughly until I could say every single detail about the attractions’ history.

The history behind these two attractions grabbed me immediately. I saw the secrets behind the curtain, marveled at everything. As a magic enthusiast, the details of the illusions behind the attractions were fascinating to me.

Another aspect that I discovered during my research about the parks was the close relation they had with Walt Disney. When you consider that Walt invested so much to Disneyland even though nobody believed in the project, it becomes the story of a creative battle. The parks were the last big project that Walt oversaw. His ambitions in Florida wasn’t only a theme park, but a whole new city dedicated to presenting a new way of urban living. E.P.C.O.T. would be the name of this experimental city, while what we know as Epcot is just a tribute to Walt’s great and undone project.

While learning about all the process involved in the design and the construction of the parks and attractions, I also learned about other topics. My sensibilities regarding visual design, architecture, the use of color, storytelling, visual transitions, and the smart use of engineering solutions is thanks to all my investigations about the Disney parks. Every time I enter a mall or any public space, I think of a hundred ways of improving the experience. When I visit the parks, I know when a special effect is not in place, the sound isn’t in sync and there’s an malfunctioning Audio Animatronic.

The story behind Walt Disney Imagineering makes me believe that creativity has no limits. How can you explain that a group of animators, with no knowledge about three dimensional designs, architecture, engineering or the inner workings of a restaurant, were able to design a theme park? These are multi disciplinary creative geniuses. For them, the sky is the limit, no matter the tools required needed to achieve it. I identify myself with them because curiosity takes me to many creative projects, never sticking to one thing at a time. Some days I’m a magician, others I’m a film director, writer, or actor. My limit isn’t the craft, but the sky itself.

This history of the parks captivates me. It represents a world where they try to achieve the impossible everyday. It helps you dream and eliminate frontiers. There are no attachments rather than hard work and creativity. Walt Disney is the most visible example, moving from short films to fully animated features, then to the world of television and later to theme parks and urban planning.

I am grateful of the parks because of the memories, feelings, happiness and sadness that they have given me. I also thank them for my admiration for design, architecture, storytelling, engineering and technology.

Since that small discovery over the internet in 2006, my passion keeps growing. Everyday I have a list of Twitter users, podcasts, blogs, and books about the topic of the history of the parks. I even discuss about new color palettes in a building of Main Street U.S.A.

I’m a Disney fan because it has given me experiences, teachings and feelings that I have found nowhere else. It has accompanied me in every moment in different ways. The history of Walt Disney connects in many ways towards my aspirations of the future.

So when people ask me why I am a fan, to explain it shortly, I just tell them that story back in 2006, turning around to see Cinderella’s Castle with tears running down my cheeks.